Newscast Folgen

Today, we look at big changes to the benefits system which the government say aim to save £5bn a year by 2030. They were announced in the House of Commons by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall who said the changes would create a more “pro-work system”. However, charities and some Labour MPs are worried benefit cuts will push disabled people into poverty. Alex and James talk through the changes with Chris, and then are joined by the pensions minister Torsten Bell. And, President Putin has agreed to halt strikes on Ukraine energy targets for 30 days after a call with President Trump. The two men spoke for around 90 minutes, and fresh Ukraine peace talks will also begin in the Middle East immediately, the White House says. Alex and James are joined by Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Shiler Mahmoudi. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, President Trump has been speaking to journalists ahead of his phone call with Russia’s President Putin on Tuesday. Trump told reporters that the two men will discuss land and powerplants. James and Alex speak to BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale in Kyiv where Ukrainian officials will be waiting to hear if the phone call brings Russia any closer to agreeing to a 30 day ceasefire deal outlined with the US last week.Plus, as the government prepares to announce changes to the welfare system, James and Alex speak to Faisal Islam, BBC Economics editor about the underlying causes driving up welfare claims and what it has meant for the economy. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Alex Forsyth and James Cook. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Shiler Mahmoudi and Anna Harris. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Today, we look at the news that ministers could abandon plans to freeze some disability benefits.Paddy, Laura and Henry discuss where the news came from, and what the plans were in the first place.And, after a week in which Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced that he was getting rid of NHS England, they look at how he might be changing other parts of the health service.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Adam Chowdhury. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.